Even during his playing days, former All Blacks halfback Piri Weepu fought against the scales.
Just imagine his predicament once the discipline of pro sport was left behind.
"Throughout my career, I've been up and down with my weight and things like that, but when you're in a professional environment, you know the things you can work on and how to drop weight pretty quickly," says Weepu.
"But since I played my last game in 2017, I've just been living life really, like most people want to do.
"After a 15-16 year professional career, all you want to do is just chill, like everyone else.
"I probably indulged a little too much," he chuckles.
When Three's Match Fit producers came calling, Weepu, 37, was ready to commit to a healthier lifestyle.
During the series' opening episode, a body scan delivered some sobering news - he weighed in at 120kg, about 25kg over playing weight, with a metabolic age of 51.
"Is that machine calibrated right?" checked Weepu cheekily.'
"Well, it did spin around twice with you on it," responded trainer Alex Flint.
Match Fit has shown a team of former All Blacks, coached by legends Wayne 'Buck' Shelford and Sir Graham Henry, struggling to overcome the blight of retirement and middle age.
For Weepu, like many, the casting call also became a wake-up call, but with a new support team around him, he has embraced the challenge.
"For myself, it was pretty easy to get back into it," he says. "I was a bit sore at the start, but you come right as you get through the training.
"It was pretty good to get back out there with a group of mates to do it with, rather than trying to do things by myself."
The show addresses all aspects of physical and mental wellbeing, but one of the most underrated is recovery and sleep.
"It's not only the hot and colds that people do after games and stretching, but also having the right amount of sleep and comfortable sleep," says Weepu. "You're in a deep sleep for a long period of time at night, rather than a restless one.
"Having a comfortable bed and pillows will always count in your favour if you have it right."
BedsRus owner/operator Brett Ferguson explains: "Your body works while you’re sleeping, that’s why it’s important to have the correct support system and comfort level.
"This ensures your spine is in good alignment, and you have the correct weight on your hips and shoulders.
"If you’re an athlete carrying injuries, you definitely need to have the correct support systems in place and the focus for sleeping is more on releasing pressure."
He shares five top tips with Newshub about what to consider to ensure a good night’s sleep:
- Support - your mattress needs to help support a healthy sleep posture. This means your body should be in alignment, from the knees and hips, through the spine to the chest, shoulders, head and neck.
- Comfort - a mattress is all about finding the best one for you. Some like a firm mattress and some like a soft one. It basically comes down to personal preference. There’s no hard rule about firm vs soft despite popular opinion. Basically, if you’re comfortable, you have a better chance of sleeping well and for longer.
- Partner disturbance - you need to consider whether you’re buying for yourself or for two of you.
- Temperature - your body heat temperature needs to be addressed so you can have a good night’s sleep. You should maintain a healthy 15-20 degrees Celsius, according to the Ministry of Health.
- Get fitted to the right bed by speaking to an expert. Each bed has a specific feature and benefit, so understanding what is important for you and your circumstances is essential to make sure you are fitted to a bed that caters to these needs.
Now that he's back into good habits, Weepu is confident he can continue his health journey beyond Match Fit.
"I've got a group of guys I can connect with and keep each other accountable, because we're all interconnected with an app - a heartrate monitor," he says. "The guys have a look and think 'I need to go to the gym now'.
"When you're in a team environment, you've got that camaraderie, that brotherhood back in your life, things start changing. You can keep yourself motivated.
"I'm definitely going to continue doing what I can do - this was the start I needed."
This article was created for BedsRus
To catch up on episodes of the highly acclaimed Kiwi show Match Fit go to ThreeNow.
